


Oddly Unexpected, Oddly Charming

by remylebae



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 14:30:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21076436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remylebae/pseuds/remylebae
Summary: In which Gilbert is feeling bored and alone at a party and catches a girl from his literature class doing something completely unexpected, improving his evening tenfold.





	Oddly Unexpected, Oddly Charming

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, don't ask me why I wrote this. The idea popped into my head and made me laugh, so I decided to write it. No idea if it was worth posting, but enjoy!

Gilbert hated parties.

Not all parties, he supposed, but certainly ones like this, ones that were overcrowded and loud, music blasting from all over the house, scarcely a room that was quiet or empty enough for him to take a moment for himself.

He leaned against a counter in the kitchen, watching people fill red solo cups with beer and soda, sipping his own Coke as he lingered in contemplation. He didn’t know why he was still there; he supposed that he had nothing else to do, and this beat hanging out alone in his dorm room all night. Although the longer he stood there, the more he was certain that it really, truly didn’t.

He should have just waved his roommate off, but the guy thought that Gilbert wasn’t truly experiencing college by not attending parties, and he seemed to really think that this was just what Gilbert needed, a chance to drink and dance and possibly meet up with a cute girl, which in retrospect made Gilbert scoff. He barely knew the guy, and he definitely didn’t know what was best for him.

Gilbert glanced at his watch; he had only been there an hour. Had he spent enough time at this party to warrant leaving? He finished his soda and threw the cup away, beginning to squeeze past a crowd of people who were blocking the doorway out of the kitchen.

He glanced down the hall, trying to scan past throngs of people. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed, and wondered if there was a bathroom nearby where he could gather himself for a moment before leaving. He hated driving while feeling overwhelmed.

He popped his head into rooms as he walked through the hallway; to Gilbert’s disappointment, he didn’t see a bathroom, so he tapped the shoulder of a guy nearby and asked for directions. The guy gestured up the stairs, then quickly added, “First door on the left,” before turning back to his friends.

Gilbert climbed the stairs quickly, ignoring a couple at the top who were practically blocking the hallway, making heart-eyes at each other.

“Is the bathroom occupied?” Gilbert asked, drawing their attention. They shrugged, ignoring him once more; Gilbert’s shoulders fell, and he held back an audible sigh. He desperately needed a moment to himself before going home.

He knocked on the door, listening in for a response, although the loud music around him made it hard to hear. He tested the handle, and upon finding it unlocked, he took in a deep breath and pushed the door open.

And found the bathroom occupied with a girl standing at the sink.

“Oh sorry, I-”

Gilbert halted, staring at the occupant of the bathroom, a girl who seemed just as startled as he was. She held an electric razor in her hand, and the counter and floor around her was covered in her red hair, with half of her head shaved close, maybe a fourth of an inch. She stared at him with large, round eyes, frozen. After a moment, razor still held up in the air, she said, “Sorry. I was sure that I had locked that.”

Gilbert continued staring. “I- Sorry, I shouldn’t have intruded. Is this your house?”

“No,” the girl replied.

“Ah, okay then. Carry on.”

Gilbert went to leave, but the girl stopped him. “Aren’t you in my Gothic Literature class?”

Gilbert blinked, his face shifting with recognition. “Yes, I am.” He watched her for another second; she was still holding the razor close to her head, having yet to move her arm down. He considered leaving again, but his curiosity got the better of him, and leaning against the door frame he asked, “Is there a reason you’re doing this here?”

The girl frowned, finally moving her arm down to look at the razor in her hand. “I’m full of spite.”

“Meaning?”

“I ran into an ex here, and he- I think he was hoping to get back together with me, I don’t know. But he started going off about how beautiful he thought my hair was, so much prettier than when we first started dating- I had had a mishap with some hair dye and had to cut it off at a pixie cut length right before we met- and so…,” she trailed off, staring at her reflection, as if she had just realized exactly what she was in the middle of doing. Her eyes widened. “Jesus. I- I had always wanted to shave my head, just to experience it, just to see what I would look like, and him saying all that was just what I needed to go ahead and do it.”

She fell silent, staring intently at her reflection. Gilbert swore that her eyes were growing wet, but then she dropped her face and quickly swiped at her eyes before looking back up at him, now smiling a rather forced-looking smile. She laughed suddenly, a harsh and short sound. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. This must be so weird for you.”

Gilbert shrugged. _It was_, but he could tell she was going through some stuff, and clearly he wasn’t in any place to judge. She turned off the razor and set it on the counter.

She turned to face him, suddenly giggling. She gestured to her uneven, half-shaved head, the other side still covered with hair. “How do I look?”

He couldn’t help it: he smiled. As _wild_ as this was, he absolutely preferred it to the party going on out in the rest of the house. “Would you like some help?” he asked, then inwardly cringed, adding, “Crap, you barely know me- I’m sorry. I’m Gilbert.”

“I”m Anne,” she replied. “A-N-N-E. And you know what, Gilbert? I would love your help. I can’t exactly see the back of my head.” She passed him the razor, and before he could even ask himself what he was doing, she asked, “Have you shaved someone’s head before?”

“Well...I’ve shaved my face…,” Anne snorted, and he quickly added, “But it can’t be any worse than what you could do, could it?”

Smiling, she turned, giving him easier access to her hair. “Just don’t give me a bald spot, that’s all I ask.”

He switched it on, and with a deep breathe began cutting her hair, making conversation as strands of red and orange hit the floor. He asked her what she thought of _Dracula_, their current read for class, and she went on an emphatic rant he hadn’t been expecting on epistolary novels. He found himself quite impressed by her; she was odd, and as he finished shearing her head, he realized that in a short amount of time, he was really enjoying her company.

He turned off the razor, finished; together they began wiping strands of hair off her shoulders, picking off the tiny particles that stuck to her back. As they did so, Gilbert said, “You know, I really am not a fan of parties.”

“Really? So you don’t just go to parties for the sole purpose of hiding in the bathroom and finding girls who need their heads shaved?” She laughed, then added, “Yeah, I mean, I’m _shaving my head at a party_. I’m with you on the “not a fan” front. At least, parties where I don’t know everyone.”

“Then why are you here?” he asked, placing the razor on the counter.

“My roommate brought me along.”

Gilbert’s face brightened. “Same here!”

They shared a laugh; Anne turned to face her reflection, running a hand over her head and the thin layer of hair that still covered it. “I like the length,” she said after a moment. “You know, I didn’t want to be _bald_ bald, so this length, it’s good.” She took in her reflection for another minute; Gilbert wondered what she was thinking. He was struggling to read her expression, although he assumed she was happy.

Suddenly, she frowned, straightening and turning to face him. “I’m starving.”

Gilbert realized he was too. “We could go get some pizza?”

She stared at him, and Gilbert paled, realizing the connotations of what he had asked. He was about to apologize when she grinned suddenly. “I would love that.”

The bathroom door suddenly swung open; at the same time, Anne and Gilbert frantically yelped out, “Occupied!” surprising the girl who now stood before them, standing in the doorway as loud music spilled into the bathroom from down the hall.

The girl took in the scene before her, gasping. “Anne, what did you _do_ to your hair!?”

Anne shrugged like it was no big deal, although Gilbert could see that she was fighting back a laugh. “Diana, calm down. I ran into Roy and he started talking about my hair. Decided to shave my head.”

“_Yeah_, I can see that! I- and who’s this?” Diana asked, gesturing to Gilbert.

He reached out his hand for them to shake; Diana took it suspiciously. “Gilbert. Anne and I have a class together. I stumbled in on her in here much like you just now.”

Diana stared at the two of them in silence, then finally laughed. “Okay, wow. I’m ready to leave if you are, Anne. We can go more into this later.”

Anne nodded. “That’s fine by me. Gilbert and I were discussing getting pizza, actually.”

Diana smiled. “I could do pizza.” She watched as Anne wiped the last bit of hair off her shoulders, stepping away from the pile on the floor. Diana suddenly snorted loudly. “Anne, Josie is going to _kill_ you when she sees what you did to her bathroom.”

Gilbert watched the two interact in silence; this must have been the roommate Anne had mentioned earlier. “Should we clean this up then?”

Anne snorted. “Nah, she can go to hell. She said some pretty homophobic shit to our friend Cole.”

Gilbert smiled to himself; he liked Anne’s spite and spirit. He’d have to remember to ask her for her number later.

They left the bathroom, climbing down the stairs. Gilbert followed behind, watching Anne scan the party to see if anyone had noticed what she had done. They were nearly to the front door when Anne suddenly froze; Gilbert followed her gaze and saw a guy their age staring at her with wide eyes. Gilbert glanced back at Anne; she was grinning at the guy in a sickening way, sticking her tongue out at him before moving forward, now ignoring him. That must have been Roy.

They left the house, trampling down towards the road where they were parked. They agreed on the pizza place then separated for their respective vehicles, across the street from each other. As Gilbert slipped into his own car, he glanced up through the windshield; he could just make out the two of them sitting in their seats. Diana was running her hand over Anne’s head, laughing, and Gilbert smiled.

They both seemed nice, and he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed himself, as completely odd as the situation was. He realized he was still watching them; they appeared to be whispering and giggling to each other, and before Gilbert could look away, suddenly Anne’s eyes were on him. Embarrassed, he blushed, and she smiled.

He wondered if they had been talking about him. To his surprise, the idea gave his heart a thrill.

He returned Anne’s smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this fic made you laugh! Leave a kudos and comment with your thoughts, I appreciate it!


End file.
